Additional transport vehicles used by the Czech military in Afghanistan are
to receive added protection developed by defence firm VOP-026 Šternberk:
cage (or slat) armour capable of defending against rocket-propelled
grenades or shape-charged warheads. Lightweight and made of superior alloy
steel, the slat armour can consistently save lives in attacks that
otherwise almost certainly prove fatal. More

One of the most blatant corruption cases in recent years will end up in
court. Prosecutors in the north-eastern city of Ostrava have announced that
two people will be charged in the case of the 2006 purchase of Tatra trucks
for the Czech army. Although no details about the charges and the people
involved have been officially disclosed, a number of Czech media have
reported that former defence minister Martin Barták is one the two men
facing prosecution. More

A meeting between government coalition leaders on Monday failed to produce
conclusive results on how the government will offset falling tax revenues.
But two variants, narrowed down, are on the table: to introduce new
spending cuts at most government ministries as well as in some social
benefits to bring the public finance deficit down to 3.5 percent of GDP in
2012. Or, alternatively, to raise the VAT to a uniform 19 percent (with
minimal exemptions on books, medicines, newspapers & magazines). More

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has criticized the Czech
government for reduced military spending. According to media reports, the
NATO chief sent Prime Minister Petr Nečas a letter warning that his
government might not be able to fulfil its commitments to the alliance
should these cuts continue in the coming years. More

Czech coalition leaders have crossed swords over one of the most
influential men in the Czech cabinet – Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra
of the Civic Democrats. Mr. Vondra has been dogged by problems lately, the
most serious of which is a questionable multi-million crown contract
relating to the country’s EU presidency at a time when he held the EU
portfolio. When the internet daily euro.cz on Wednesday published
information suggesting that Mr. Vondra had allegedly been aware of the
dubious terms of the contract which cost taxpayers millions of crowns the
two smaller parties moved in for the kill, demanding that minister Vondra
face the problem squarely and accept political responsibility for the
scandal. I asked political analyst Vít Hloušek if this is likely to be the
last straw for the embattled defence minister. More

The Czech defence Minister Alexandr Vondra, has suspended from office the
head of the Czech military police and two high-level commanders over an
unprecedented incident on Friday at the headquarters of public broadcaster
Czech TV. Early in the evening - as the station aired its primetime news
broadcast - nine masked and heavily armed members of a military command
unit forced their way into the news building, pushing past security guards
and jumping turnstiles. More

As the standoff continues between the Czech government and the doctors’
trade unions, the authorities have outlined an emergency scenario to avert
the looming heath care crisis. If no deal is reached by March 1, when mass
resignations of around 3,800 Czech hospital doctors take effect, the
government will use medical capacities of the Czech military. The scenario
also suggests that state-run teaching hospitals will be crucial in
providing emergency health care. More

The main force of the Czech Army serving in the NATO operation in Kosovo
has returned home to the Czech Republic, ending a peacekeeping mission of
eleven years. Only a small group of soldiers now remains there to maintain
the isolated Czech base at Šajkovac in the northeast of the country until
the very last troops leave at the end of next year. The withdrawal also
meant the end of an eight-month tour of duty for the 16th Contingent of the
Czech Army. Earlier today we spoke with the contingent’s press
spokeswoman, Captain Magdalena Dvořáková. More

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karel Schwarzenberg, is wrapping up a
brief, official visit to the United States where he met with his American
counterpart Hillary Clinton. Czech Radio’s US correspondent Vít Pohanka
is in Washington and spoke with both officials before and after the
meeting. More

A Czech newspaper has blown the whistle on what appears to be a far
reaching political corruption cartel involving multi-billion crown defence
contracts. The Minister of Defence has sacked a long standing deputy
minister and promised far reaching reform.
More